My last post for the class! It’s been a fun half-semester and I’ve learned a lot. This week we studied and implemented how to stay motivated when on projects. There are three points that I cover in the video
Using progress as a motivator- Two parts to this that I found particularly helpful.
Getting started on projects- I tend to have trouble getting started, especially when I don’t feel like I have a firm idea of what I want to share or the command of the subject. Starting on easy things has helped me to overcome those challenges.
Taking short, more frequent breaks to prevent multi-tasking- This has given me permission to focus on one thing and not feel guilty that I may miss something while I am.
The app Noisli– It’s hard for me to work in silence, but podcasts and music with words has proven distracting. Noisli allows me to create background noise, that isn’t distracting, which has helped me focus on my task at hand.
We live in a time when information is all around us. Our challenge used to be that it was hard to find information. Now it is at our fingertips and our our challenge is that is it hard to know which information in reliable. For this post I am going to focus on tips for figuring out if a source is reliable. Most of the information that I share in this article is from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab(OWL). It is a free resource that offers tips and info on a variety of subjects and because it is produced by a reputable institution we know it is reliable.
OWL identifies nine tips for gauging how reliable a digital source is. You can find their full text here Evaluating Digital Sources. I pulled out one or two ideas for each of their tips below.
Search Engine Optimization– When you use a search engine like Google they use an algorithm to choose which results show up first. Those results impact which sites you go to. Be careful and always be aware that the first site my only show up first because it is a company owned by the search engine or their partners.
Domain Extensions– These are the letters that come after the “.” in .com, .org, .gov, and many more. All of the extensions except .edu and .gov can be purchased by a company. That in mind when you are searching. Sometimes companies will use .org to make their website seem more credible whereas .gov is only available to government agencies and .edu to educational institutions.
Clickbait– People make money when you visit their site and people are more likely to visit a site when the headline is surprising, alarming, or sensationalized. If the title of the article uses those types of words, then when you navigate to the site it is filled with ads, then it is probably clickbait. They may be entertaining, but their content isn’t very reliable.
Social Media– These are sites where most of the content is user created and then shared with others like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Those sites can be a great way to connect with friends, but their information isn’t always reliable. Look for sites and posts by well-known organizations or people. If you don’t recognize the name of the organization, that should be a red flag. It doesn’t guarantee that the info is wrong, but it does mean that you should do some more to learn about who is posting.
Podcasts– It is easy for anyone to produce a podcast and they can be great resources. Like any other source of information podcast can be biased or the hosts may not be reliable sources of information. Before using info from a podcast in a paper cross-reference both the information and the person or organization presenting it. I use podcasts more as a starting point to help me brainstorm than as a source in themselves.
Wikipedia– Like podcasts I typically use Wikipedia for entertainment purposes, to help me get a quick overview of a topic, or to look for more sources. Wikipedia can be edited by anyone and so the information may or may not be reliable. Many Wikipedia editors will post their sources towards the bottom of the page. That can be a great place to find additional source, but make sure to check those for reliability too!
Online News Articles– When looking at news articles online remember that they can come from any perspective. Not every site has rigorous editorial standards or their goal may not be to present “just the facts”. Before citing websites check them for bias, see if you can find another source that offers the same information, and check things like their “About Me” page. For example, National Review is a conservative website/magazine. They tend to support positions that are inline with that political philosophy. They also say that in their FAQ.
Online Databases– If you have access to online databases through school or your job they can be a great resource for trusted reliable information. Most of them contain peer reviewed articles from journals or books. If you receive access through an institution it is safe to trust the database, but remember the articles could be biased. Always be on the lookout for questionable information.
Personal Websites– Be really careful when considering using personal websites. Check the authors credentials and be aware- Anyone can post anything on the internet. I recommend not using people’s personal websites as sources unless you know that person is reliable from their work being published elsewhere. For example, the sociology researcher Marshall Ganz posts all his publications on his personal site, but he is also featured on Harvard’s faculty page and lists his titles on his site.
Please find the video below. Visual management is a growing part of communicating goals, project progress, and coordinating teams. Why is it important and how does it relate? It’s another way to help people retain or be able to easily reference the material you’re creating and sharing. Easely helps to fill that need by making creating infographics easy. That has always been a challenge for me. This was very helpful.
Additionally, I touch on information we covered that can improve note taking, reading, and retaining information. Below you’ll find a video on the SQ3R method which I mention in the video blog(I don’t reference it by name).
Over committing can cause otherwise reliable people to run behind, produce lower quality than they are capable of, or cut other areas of their life short(like self care). People also lose time when they aren’t tasks focused. The video below shares some of the things I have learned, from this module and my professional experience, on how to decide if you can take on a project and how to organize your tasks.
Our second module focused on communicating and collaborating online. This covered tips and tricks for communicating in different online settings and with different tools.
We are discussing tools being used to set up a system that allows for effective collaboration. We(students) are being offered training in how to connect and share our work. It makes sense that this module would be at the front of the course. In my professional life I support learning health systems to increase patient and family engagement. We are setting up systems that allows for effective collaboration there too. There is research on the actor oriented architecture that suggests those systems need three components to function,
” (1) actors who have the capabilities and values to self-organize; (2) commons where the actors accumulate and share resources; and(3) protocols, processes, and infrastructures that enable multi-actor collaboration.”(Fjeldstad, 2012)
We are doing the same thing as a community of student and professors. We are building that system.
Think of that as that the frame for the tools I will be sharing. These are tools that help develop the commons(point 2 from the quote above) These tools work to help in an academic or professional setting.
Tools to Help Us Develop a Commons
Cloud File Sharing– When we are working together we need to be able to save and access documents. Choosing the correct type of file sharing for your needs is important. In some cases you may only need to access and review files while in other you may be editing documents with a working group.
Google Drive(Docs)– Widely used so a lot of people have a working knowledge of the basics. If you need to be able to edit documents together and see real time changes there is nothing better. You can also use it to store and share files of any kinds. Additionally, the Google Forms feature may be able to help centralize needs for surveys. Drive combines a lot of things into one. It’s main drawback is that many institutions don’t allow documents to be shared on Google Drive. It can make projects that include team members from multiple organizations more difficult. That said, I use it everyday in both my professional and personal life. Below is a video that was shared in our lecture. It gives a good overview of the full functionality of Docs. Account set up is free. Google Drive.
Box– Box allows you to upload and share files and folders with other team members. Edits can be made and documents updated, but real time multi-person editing is difficult or non existent. It is more widely accepted by organizations and is easier for people to use who have no experiences with cloud sharing because it has a feel that is more like accessing a file on your computer. Basics are free, some feature require a paid account. Box
FJELDSTAD, Ø, SNOW, C., MILES, R., & LETTL, C. (2012). THE ARCHITECTURE OF COLLABORATION. Strategic Management Journal,33(6), 734-750. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41524889
Online reading and note taking can be hard. When it is done without planning it can cause a system that has the worst of all worlds. You have some notes and books in hard copy, the notes may be well taken, but it can be time consuming to create a digital format. Online note taking and reading may not always provide the same flexibility as using a hard copy. I’ve come up with a few solutions- Some are things I have learned over time and a few others I learned in class this week.
Reading Online: Choose your technology and be consistent.
Apple Books- I can upload PDFs of articles into Apple Books, it is available on both my phone and tablet, and many of the textbooks are available in a digital format. I can take notes right on the material and I can search the text for key words. That has fundamentally changed how I study. If the material isn’t available in Apple Books or I am working from my laptop/desktop, then I use PDFs.
PDFs- PDFs have much of the same functionality as Apple Books, but are more widely used. Almost any format can be converted into PDF and you can take notes for free. Most of the articles that are shared in an academic setting are done so via PDF.
Online Note Taking: Having a notebook or legal pad with me for notes, lists, etc. is something I have done every day for school for the last 10-15 years. My habits are deeply ingrained. What I find most difficult about using online note taking is that I don’t have the freedom to take notes like I want to. I tend to use the full page as a blank canvas. I draw boxes and arrows; I don’t take notes in a linear fashion. Most of the online tools haven’t allowed me to do that. I found some success taking notes directly on my reading(referenced above), but it isn’t perfect. Below are a couple pieces of technology that have helped others overcome online note taking challenges.
Notability- This is an app and allows the note taker to write notes with an Apple pen or stylus. If you’re like me and like to draw boxes and arrows this may be the tool for you.
One Note- This is Microsoft’s note taking application. I don’t love it, but it is used by may organizations. If you are developing online note taking skills, I recommend becoming proficient in One Note because it is so widely used.
Bringing it all together: I have been able to learn most effectively when combining resources and using multiple screens. Below you’ll find a picture of my online learning set up. I use my tablet to play videos, for readings if I am mobile, or readings if I won’t need to take notes. I use one of my computer screens for note taking, paper writing, or to follow along with step-by step instructions.
Goal setting helps set your priorities as you are embarking on a new project. In this post I’ll share one of the strategies for setting goals, but first want to talk about measures. A measure is a way for you to quantify your progress. Like the word says- It’s how you’re going to measure your progress.
Establishing Measures
An organization called the Institute for Healthcare Improvement(IHI) has some wonderful resources on measures. What I am going to share here is taken from their work. I’ll share the pages and videos along the way in case you want to learn more.
First there are three types of measures
Outcome- These are your end result measures. What you ultimately want to accomplish. An example, Let’s say you want to improve your grade in a course from a 85% to a 90%. Your goal would be to increase your percentage in the class by 5%. That is an outcome measure.
Process- These are measures that help improve your process. The process should help achieve your outcome measures. Continuing from the example above, a process measure would be to increase the amount of time you are spending doing class reading each week because increasing reading will help raise your grade. The goal could be stated as- I want to increase the number of hours I read per week from two to four.
Balancing- Measures that make sure one part of the system isn’t hurting other parts and making it more difficult to reach your outcome measures. For example, does increasing reading time cause you to have to spend less time writing the papers for the week and then result in lower scores?
SMART is a way for you to make sure that you’re writing goals that will help you meet your ultimate objective. Each letter stands for a different aspect of writing a successful goal.
S- Specific – How will you know what you have done worked? Set an observable measure that will let you know if the change you are making is working.
M- Measurable- Some is not a number. You could set a quantity goal like a specific number or percent or a quality goal like reducing the number of grammatical errors in your papers.
A- Achievable- If you can’t see a path to victory, then you’re not setting the correct goal. Goals are meant to push you, but if it is unreasonable, then they can be discouraging.
R- Relevant- Is the goal you’re setting going to help you reach your desired outcome? It should.
T- Time bound- Soon is not a time. Specific time frame or date when it needs to be completed.
In many industries remotely working is becoming more popular and even if you work in brick and mortar office everyday you’re more likely to connect with people in other cities, states, or countries than ever before. The same is true for education. More classes are offered exclusively online, more complete programs are offered exclusively online, and it is important that we are equipped with the tools to be successful. In, Keys to Online Success I’ve learned
Be deliberate about setting goals, norms, and expectations: Don’t let things just happen. When starting any new project or class take time to define success, identify the tools you will need to be successful, develop a schedule for when you will take action, and set expectations. Throughout the semester we have touched on many topics and most of them include this as a part of the strategy.
Free online tools exist for most tasks: Each week we study a new topic and part of our study is to learn what technologies exist to facilitate online learning. I’ve listed a few below, but the most important point is that there is no magic formula for finding technologies to help. There are lots of ways to find tools the work like asking your co-workers or searching online. If you need to do something online chances are their is a tool to help you do it.
Scheduling Online- Trello(pictured below)- Trello is an online “to-do” list and calendar. The basics are free.
Digital Note Taking- I did a whole post about this that you can find here (Tips for Paperless Reading and Note Taking). I like Notability, which is an app that allows you to take notes on your devices. The app costs $11.99 on Apple devices.
Online Scheduling and Collaboration- My favorites? Adobe Connect is top notch, but expensive. For video/audio calls and screen sharing I recommend Zoom. Zoom is free for two person meetings and you can meet with 3 or more people for 40 minutes on the free account. If you want to go paid you can do so for just $15 a month. I’ve used both. Connect is better, but Zoom is close enough. Scheduling? Use Doodle. Free, easy to learn, and no sign in required for people to offer their availability. You can also use the plug ins for online tools like Slack.
Our challenge isn’t connecting to information, it’s identifying accurate information: Pick a term, any term, and search in Google. I just tried searching for the composer Antonín Dvořák. I received more than 30 million results in less than two seconds. How do you find what you need, when you need it? First, some tips on creating a search to help you get the results you need, 10 Tips for smarter, more efficient internet searching How do you know if a source is valid? Below is a video we used in class with lots of tips. Think critically about your sources, look up the authors to see if they are experts, and if it looks sketchy, then find something else.
This is just a start, but are key points in becoming a successful online worker and learner. Be deliberate, find tools to make your experience easier, and evaluate your sources.
